This invention relates to a cab for a farm tractor and, more particularly, to a ventilated cab that is designed for mounting on the tractor after manufacture of the tractor itself, as an after-market item. The cab of the present invention is also intended primarily for use with medium-sized farm tractors used in orchards or vineyards where the trees and vines present interference to equipment that must pass through the orchard or vineyard.
In the cultivation of many types of crops and, in particular, in the management and cultivation of an orchard, it is necessary to apply pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals to the crops and trees in order to eliminate or prevent infestation by various insects or diseases. It is not uncommon for the chemicals to be applied to also be hazardous to humans and, therefore, the worker operating the applicating system must be protected against contact with and inhalation of the harmful chemicals. In farming of large acreages of crops, such as wheat and corn, very large tractors are typically used to perform the spraying operations and many of these tractors have enclosed cabs that protect the operator of the tractor from the chemicals being applied. However, in smaller farming situations and in orchards where the spacing of the trees prevents the use of large farm tractors, it has been typical to use a smaller, medium-sized farm tractor with no cab, and, therefore, the operator is exposed to the chemicals and pesticides being applied. Typically, an operator has had to wear protective clothing and a respirator to achieve some protection from the pesticides; however, even these are not satisfactory, since the spraying usually occurs during the hottest months of the year and the clothing is uncomfortable to wear and also not totally efficient in preventing contact of the chemicals to the skin of the operator. Also, injuries have been recorded where the operator turned his head to view the "spray pattern" to the rear and while doing so was struck by a branch that inflicted injury to the head, neck, and spine.
It is, therefore, a object of the present invention to provide a cab for use with a small- to medium-sized farm tractor. It is further an object of this invention to provide a cab that is ventilated to aid the comfort of the tractor operator. Another object of the invention is to provide the ventilation system of the tractor with a filtering system that prevents the entry of harmful chemicals or dust into the ventilated space of the cab. Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a tractor cab that can be constructed as an after-market item and retrofitted onto existing tractors. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively lightweight cab that is solid enough to prevent injury to the tractor operator by deflecting branches and other low-hanging objects that interfere with the tractor.